June, 2011

Interview with Author Henry Zecher

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Henry Zecher

ED- The Eerie Digest has a strong base with mystery readers everywhere. From students at UCLA and other colleges, as well as filmmakers, fellow writer’s club members, and armchair enthusiasts, the lure of a good detective story is always fascinating. The most well known mystery writer is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the famous Sherlock Holmes mysteries. The person who brought the fictional character to life was an American actor though, by the name of William Gillette. With us today is Henry Zecher, author of the first full biography of Gillette ever published: William Gillette, America’s Sherlock Holmes, recently published by Xlibris Press.

ED – Henry, please tell our readers about your educational background.

HZ- I spent two years at Montgomery College, a local two-year commuter school, and joined the sports staff of the campus newspaper. Being the only one on the sports staff, that made me sports editor the day I first walked in. Instant promotion. But we had a great newspaper that was rated among the finest in the country. I went on to the University of Maryland and received my B.S. in journalism in 1971. In my years at Maryland, I wrote for the Diamondback, which had the distinction – on the one day when both metropolitan newspapers were on strike – of being the largest circulating daily in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

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Interview with Author Dianah Brock

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Dianah Brock

ED- The Eerie Digest has had the honor of presenting the short stories written by author Dianah Brock over the past months under the name of Ava Sprayberry. Her haunting tales are a perfect match for our magazine, and have thrilled our readers with their great mysterious qualities. We’d like to introduce Dianah to our readers and let them get to know her better. Dianah, how did you begin your writing career, and who first encouraged you to do so?

DB- Well, I came from a family that reads the encyclopedia and dictionary for fun, so I became addicted to the written word at a young age. As a Freshman in High School, My literature teacher, Susan Campbell, took an interest in my writing, and began to push me to use my talents to their full potential. It was then that I decided to take my hobby to the next level, and pursue a career as a novelist.

ED- You love the area that you live in and have a goal to ‘put it on the map’. Please tell us about where you live and your attachment to it.

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Interview with Author William Fripp

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

William Fripp

ED- It’s always exciting for us, here at The Eerie Digest magazine, to introduce new authors to our legions of readers. William Fripp is one such author and his short stories have graced the pages of our magazine for the last few issues. William tell us about your love for writing and your earlier careers that led to it.

WF- I got my first job at the age of fifteen as a busboy and stayed in the restaurant industry for the next twenty years, but I have always had a passion for reading and writing. I wrote my first short story at the age of nine and have filled many notebooks with stories and poetry. Creative writing has been an avocation for me rather than a vocation, until recently when my first novel was picked up by a literary agent.

ED- In the positions that you held in the past you must have met many people. How have these acquaintances influenced some of the characters presented in your work?

WF- Of course, everyone I meet makes an impression of some sort and adds to the store I draw on for characters. I try to involve real life situations and people in my work, because I believe truth and fiction are closely related. The more believable your fiction, the more you involve the reader.

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Interview with Author Debbie Sue Goodman

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Debbie Sue Goodman

ED- It isn’t often that an author can build two careers off of a single topic, so The Eerie Digest could not miss the opportunity to interview such a writer as Debbie Sue Goodman. Debbie, you are not only an author, but you also make a good living as a comedian as well. How did you first start your career and what was your greatest influence in doing so?

DSG- Thank you Joe! As far as I can remember I’ve always enjoyed writing. When I was about eight years old, I started keeping a journal about what happened in my life. Every day I would write down what I was feeling that particular day. If I was happy or sad, I would write a poem. I kept writing in journals, all through school and college. Then, I became a singer in musicals and an actress in local theater. I would write song lyrics, music, and play my guitar and piano everyday. I always enjoyed performing in plays. I wanted to be an actress. When I started dating, I went on many unusual dates. I used to write down the funny dates and keep them in my diary. I didn’t use any names in my journal. Everyone’s always giving me ideas on how to find “Mr. Right.” I found out you can meet someone in unusual ways! For instance, I was standing in line at my local post office, minding my own business. A guy in front of me turned around to talk. He was holding a bunch of envelopes in one hand, he said, “With a face like yours, I feel like I can tell you anything”. He said, “I’m going to tell you everything!” He continued, “I lost my last four jobs, yep, they fired me. I’m mailing out six resumes, and my car was re-possessed.” So, I gave him my number! He looked like a nice guy. He called me up the next day and I heard a strange noise in the background. It sounded like a washer and dryer. Sure enough he said, (more…)

Interview with Musician Steve Cooke

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Steve Cooke

ED- The Eerie Digest will now introduce a very popular member of the Music industry, rocker Steve Cooke. Steve, You were born in England and have established relationship with some of the best know musicians of our time. Please tell us how you first became interested in music and who was the greatest influence upon your musical career.

SC- I first became interested in music at a very young age, playing 45’s from my parents. The first music I heard and learned was Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry. My father was a musician and I used to sometimes help him before the shows.

ED- Tell us about your first band and some of the great musicians that backed you up.

SC- My first band in London was called Endever and we were often supported by a band called the Dolphins which had members of Brand X, Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac in it.

ED- Tell us about some of the greats that you were associated with in your early years and some of the well know names that you did projects with.

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Interview with Author Solveig Eggerz

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Solveig Eggerz

ED- Late last year the publisher joined the ranks of the prestigious Virginia Writer’s Club, and was introduced to the many great writers who made up this organization. Since then his publication, The Eerie Digest, has begun to introduce its readers to the many genres that these great authors excel in. Therefore we are very proud to present author Solveig Eggerz to our legions of readers. Solveig you were a native of Iceland and moved to the United States. What were the circumstances that made you choose this country to move to.

SE-My father was in the Icelandic foreign service. We lived in England for five years, then we moved to Washington, DC. I practically grew up here, that is, I lived here from age 7 to 13, so I had deep roots in this country. After that we moved to Germany, and for four years I attended boarding school in Iceland. Later I received a scholarship to attend the University of Kansas. After graduation from KU, I decided to stay in this country.

ED- Tell us about the educational background that you have had, and the degrees that you earned in the fields that you chose.

SE-I graduted from the Secondary School of Reykjavik with a baccalaureate. My bachelor’s degree from KU is in International Relations. I received a master’s degree and a PhD from Catholic University in Comparative Literature with a focus on medieval works.

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Interview with Author Scott Baker

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Scott Baker

ED- The Eerie Digest is proud to introduce a fellow writer from Virginia, Scott M. Baker, to our legions of readers. Scott, you originated from Boston and, like me, chose to come to Virginia to make it your home. What inspired you to take up the pen and become a writer?

SB- Writing has been in my blood as far back as I can remember. When I was a kid, I had a small notebook I used to jot down short stories in. I was also a huge monster movie fan, so when my father brought home an old manual typewriter (I’m dating myself here) from work, it was only natural that I set myself up in the family room and created my own weekly monster magazine. Talk about cheesy. I’d type out stories and movie reviews, cut out pictures from books and old magazines to paste in, and even provided the art work for the covers. Sure, it had a circulation of only one (my mother), but it ignited the passion. That was forty years ago, and I’ve been writing in one form or another ever since.

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Interview with Author John Trammell

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

John Trammell

ED- Late last year the Publisher of The Eerie Digest joined the prestigious Virginia Writer’s Club and has since met many exciting authors, some of which now have graced the pages of this magazine. One such author is John Trammell, who has an extensive background in the field of Education. John, like me, you have encouraged students to become acquainted with the art of writing. You, however, have gone much further than that. Please describe the courses that you teach and the many students that you assist.

JT-I teach diverse courses, ranging from creative writing at the University of Richmond, to research methodology at Virginia Commonwealth University. But my full-time job is at Randolph-Macon College, where I help students with disabilities and teach courses about disability and Otherness. For example, a popular course I teach is called “Monsters and Modernism,” where we actually dissect the cultural construction of monsters and demons and explain them in practical terms.

ED- Please tell our readers about the many schools that you have taught in.

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Interview with Actor Charles Baker

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Charles Baker

 

ED- The Eerie Digest has recently been introduced to an amazing actor, Charles Baker. He has originally planned on a music career, and studied stage acting to improve on his music career. Then he was bitten by the acting bug. Charles, please tell us about these early years and the educational background that you undertook to get there.

CB- First, let me say thank you so much taking the time to talk to me, it’s an honor to be able to do this kind of thing, really. Now, moving on. As you stated, I was originally going to focus on music. When I got to college, I was absolute in my resolve to be a musician, but due to a severe lack of self-confidence, and self-esteem, I thought that teaching was going to be my only realistic career option. I was dwelling on this misconception that “those who can’t do, teach”. I’ve always had a nagging feeling that I was going to be an entertainer of some sort, but was unable to believe that I had the ability to do so. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but the utmost respect for teachers and what they do, I didn’t want to teach solely because of my insecurities, in fact, what made the idea of teaching so alluring was the incredible influence teachers have been in my life throughout my entire academic “career”. As a military brat I moved around quite a bit, and, for some reason, every new school I attended, I automatically clicked with the arts teachers; band directors, choir directors, drama teachers, etc. Each one, in his own way, encouraged me to express myself creatively; something that wasn’t necessarily encouraged by my father, a Colonel in the US Army. So when it came time to seriously think about how I was going to support myself, and, eventually a family, I was convinced that being an “entertainer” was a pipe dream and that teaching was the only bearable
alternative.

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Interview with Actress Libertad Green

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Libertad Green

ED- The Eerie Digest always looks closely in the making of a film and the many characters that appear in the film to give it substance. Many actors are portrayed in lead roles, while others make up the vast cast that is needed to give the production strength. Without them the film would lack the ‘crowds’ and conviction to make it real. Actress Libertad fills both these venues and you will see her as a queen, or just part of the crowd as she is that versatile. Libertad, you originally started as a model. Please tell us about this aspect of your career.

LG- I’ve modeled for companies such as Seventeen and Popular Photography, Brides Against Breast Cancer.  Last year, while living in San Antonio, I had the opportunity to model wedding gowns for Brides Against Breast Cancer for several different news segments, and a local entertainment show, “San Antonio Living”.  I really enjoyed the opportunity, and the fact that is was all for a good cause.  This year, I have modeled again for Popular Photograpy, as well as several other clothing companies.  Modeling is something I always enjoy because of my love for fashion.

ED- Libertad, you took off running in 2004 in the TV movie ‘Iron Jawed Angels’, then the TV series ‘One Tree Hill’. How excited were you to be appearing in these productions?

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Interview with Actress Tiffany Ariany

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Tiffany Ariany

ED- The Eerie Digest would like to introduce a bright, beautiful, young rising star from the world of the Cinema to all our readers. Actress Tiffany Ariany has just gotten under way in the acting field, and she has taken off with a blast in her career. Tiffany what attracted you to the career of acting, and who was your greatest influence?

TA- I’ve always had a curiosity towards acting from a very young age. Once I started taking classes and booking jobs my passion grew, and I knew this is what I want to pursue as a career.

ED- Tell us about the abundance of training that you received for your career.

TA- I’ve been training since the moment I decided I want to get into acting. I’ve received training in commercials, improv, scene study, on camera acting, and theater. I’m currently taking advanced scene study classes at the amazing Cynthia Bain Young Actors Studio.

ED- You also spread your wings over many venues such as the Internet, and modeling. Please tell us about this aspect of your work.

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The Darkness by Guest Author William Fripp

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

William Fripp

The darkness had become, if not a friend to, then at the very least familiar to Maurice De Valle. He had been sent here to this moldering, dank, rat infested cell at the bottom of the Bastille’s bottomless pits to rot, and rot he had done, by his own reckoning for seven long years, but it could have been longer. He occupied his mind during the first months and years with the injustice done him, with plotting and planning for his revenge, savoring the imagined and oh so slow death of Christophe Laurent. Even now, his fingers clutched spasmodically into clawing talons as he imagined the throat of his enemy beneath his gnarled hands, groveling as he had groveled, begging for his pitiful life as he had begged for his, and then as Laurent’s lips turned blue and his eyes bulged from their sallow sockets he would cackle and laugh and then Laurent would die, die like the cheating, lying swine he was, die for casting him into this Hell on earth. But his vengeance would be denied him, he knew. He would continue to live to spite Christophe in this filthy hole, but vengeance would be denied at the last, for he could no longer stand or walk; his eyes would never see the light of day again. Year after year of the profound, pitch blackness of the pit had stolen his sight and he imagined that if he could once more gaze into a mirror and recognize his own visage, he would see only sunken sockets with eyes that had gone milky white, the eyes of a ghost in the face of a ghoul long dead in mind and spirit. A homunculus animated only by hate and malice
and despair. These were his attributes, now. These were his reasons for living. (more…)

Dead By Dawn by Guest Author Ava Sprayberry

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Ava Sprayberry

She sits alone in the front seat of her red dodge caravan.  She managed to steer the van off of the road way and park safely in front of the convenient store.  This was the last thing she needed.  When the night started, she was on a mission.  She was headed to Leesburg, Alabama, the one place that held all she needed in her life right now.  There, at the end of a quarter mile long driveway, just off of County Road Seven, she would find all of the love, compassion, and protection she would ever need.

She couldn’t believe she needed protection.  She couldn’t believe she was turning to the family she had forgotten about so many years ago to find it.  As she wiped a tear from her eye, she winced at the pain.  She turned on the interior light and looked at her reflection in the foggy rear view.  Her eyes were still swelling.  They were almost completely black now from the beating he had given her.  She knew with each punch he threw at her that this was going to be the worst beating in their five year history.

If only she had listened.  Everyone tried to warn her.  She could hear the warnings playing through her mind loud and clear now as if they were coming through a loud speaker.  “Be careful Angie.  I heard he nearly killed his ex-wife.  His brother said he was so bad that he didn’t want anything to do with him.  Leave now Angie.  This kind of thing never happens just once.”  Angie closed her eyes and shook her head back and forth, trying to force the voices back into the depths of her mind.  She didn’t want to hear it then, and she damned sure didn’t want to hear it now.  Now it would be I told you so, and see what I was talking about.  Right or not, she wouldn’t give her family and friends the satisfaction.  She wouldn’t allow them (more…)

Smoke and Mirrors by Guest Author Alex Knight

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Alex Knight

Linda logged off of the Internet, turned the computer off and quickly set the ironing board up in the middle of the living room. Her husband would be home any minute now and he would think that she had spent most of the day doing the laundry and ironing. Little did he know she was using the wash and fold service down the street and had been for several months. In fact, she had been using them ever since she became addicted to the online chat rooms.

The first time she stumbled into a chat room had been by accident but she had stayed to listen to the conversations and soon became a regular in that room. Her sister Bonnie, an addicted chatter, had warned Linda not to use her real name and so she picked Jasmine as her online name.

She was amazed at how many rooms existed and how many people were chatting in the middle of the workday. By the fifth day of chatting Linda was hooked. As soon as Mike left for work she would log on and see who was already in the different rooms. The flirtations and jokes would start and then so did the whispering. She felt alive. Men wanted her and women envied her.

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Maniacs by Guest Author David Rhodes

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

David Rhodes

1

I killed a maniac today.

It was my wife.

I am not a cold-blooded murderer, and I have never had a flair for violence, but when it came down to it, I had no choice. She came at me with a butcher knife, and she had that all too familiar look in her eye, like that of a wild animal, perhaps a rabid dog, and in another second it was over. I put a bullet in her head. God help me, I killed her.

I fear now that I, too, may soon be dead; not from the virus, mind you, but at the hands of someone else inflicted with the deadly germ. I am of the minority that is immune, considered lucky, but I wonder just how lucky I really am.

The future is uncertain, to be sure, so I’m writing this down in hopes that one day, after all this is over, someone in a normal state of mind will know what happened, will maybe figure out a way to avoid it happening again. I’ll try to show you as best I can, and then I’m going to call the police and tell them what happened.

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The Eerie Digest attends a Book Signing

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Author Austin Camacho-book signing

The Eerie Digest attended the book signing for author Austin Camacho in the Border’s Express store in the Dulles Town Center in Northern Virginia. The event took place on Saturday, May 14th, in the store run by manager Emily Paul, who graciously let us do a photo shoot there.

We arrived at approximately six o’clock in the evening and customers were already lining up for an autographed copy of his new book, Russian Roulette. Our publisher, (more…)

Announcing publication of new biography of William Gillette

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New Biography Brings William Gillette Back to Life; Created Image of Sherlock Holmes More than 70 years after his death, a new biography tells the story of one of the American theater’s greatest stars.

William Gillette is best-remembered today as the living personification of Sherlock Holmes. He wrote the first popular play about the detective and brought Holmes to life and established for all time the image of Holmes with the deerstalker cap, the bent briar pipe and the profile, creating what may be the most instantly recognizable icon in the world. And it was from Gillette’s play that Hollywood film-makers derived four of the famous phrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”

“Gillette established the manner in which Holmes was to be portrayed,” author Henry Zecher explained. “Mysteries in general have been staged on the template he created; and, until Jeremy Brett did his own interpretation, actors playing Holmes for the next several decades did it the way Gillette did it.” (more…)

Remembering William Gillette, America’s Sherlock Holmes

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Henry Zecher

New book brings back to life one of the Western world’s premier actors and playwrights

Waukesha, WI – (Release Date: March 28, 2011) – Although he is primarily remembered today for playing Sherlock Holmes, William Gillette was one of the leading actors and playwrights of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and a major force in bringing realism to the stage. Yet he is largely unknown today. Now, author Henry Zecher resurrects him through a fascinating biography, William Gillette, America’s Sherlock Holmes.

As a dramatist, Gillette brought realism in his sets, dialogue, and performance. As an actor, he perfected the strong, silent hero persona, put forth the actor’s personality as his most important asset, and left us “The Illusion of the First Time.” He also left us the image of Sherlock Holmes and created the template for producing mysteries on both stage and screen. Yet he is all but forgotten today while less successful playwrights are remembered. William Gillette, America’s Sherlock Holmes brings him back to life and unveils his enormous successes and accomplishments, as well as a brilliant mind, a sharp wit and bountiful heart that made him beloved as well as admired. Here is what three notable people said of this book:

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Priest Movie Review by Joseph O’Donnell, Jr.

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Joe O'Donnell, Jr.

by Joe O'Donnell, Jr.

When I heard that they were going to make a movie based on one of my favorite graphic novels, I was excited. That excitement soon turned into disappointment. There was no contrast between the movie and the graphic novel. I tried to look at the movie from a different prospective.

The settings in this movie are in a post apocalyptic future, where humans are on the brink of extinction because of over welling number of vampires. .The movie’s main character called priest, who belongs to an order of the church that hunts down vampires. This order is made of priests and priestesses that have super natural abilities and well crafted weapons. The order was shut down due to the belief that the vampires were eradicated. The main character was told by an outland sheriff that his niece, Lucy, was captured by vampires.

The priest asked council of the church if he can find Lucy, but the council has denied him of request. The priest has decides to go against the church and find his niece with the help of the sheriff. They track the vampires through the barren wasteland. Unbeknownst to the priest and sheriff, the church has sent priests to capture the main character for break his vows. A priestess of the order decides to help the two in their quest to find the missing girl. They face vampires and familiars who are loyal inhuman servants to the vampires. They find the one who was responsible captured the priest’s niece. It was a former priest, now called Black Hat, who was turned into the first human vampire during the wars with vampires. Black Hat’s objective is to destroy that human race with the aid of the vampires. It is up the priest, the priestess, and the sheriff to save the human race and to rescue Lucy. (more…)

Movie review of Pirates of the Caribbean

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Joe O'Donnell, Jr.

Joe O'Donnell, Jr.

Author Joseph J. O'Donnell

Joseph J. O'Donnell

A J & J movie review

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took our staff to the first day viewing of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ shown in 3D in our local theater. As it was on an early Friday afternoon the audience was small and void of children, making the movie all that more enjoyable.

The picture started out with all the flare of the first movie of the series and Johnny Depp was true to his form. As an actor his talent never ceases to amaze me. The special effects were great, but the 3D was so-so in my view. As usual with the ‘Pirates’ series there was a lot of action, and rarely a dull moment.

The movie is a continuation from the third ‘Pirates’ film with some old, and some new, characters that enhances the story line. Penelope Cruz adds zest and sex appeal for those of us of the male gender, and Ian McShane (who plays pirate Edward Teach-aka ‘Blackbeard’) and Geoffrey Rush ( Barbossa) bring much acting experience and diversity to the story. The costume designs and period setting were spectacular and the makeup was very effective. All the acting was phenomenal and so we rated this picture as a Must-See, and recommend buying the DVD afterwards for your collection.

J & J